Air-tight tablet box



Dec. 27, 1966 J. E. HODGsoN 3,294,222

AIR-TIGHT'TABLET BOX Filed Feb. 2, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 28 JACK E Hoosom Dec. 27, 1966 J, E. HoDGsoN AIR-TIGHT TABLET Box 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 2, 1965 INVENTOR JACK E. HODGSON O J m t..

Dec. 27, 1966 J. E. HoDGsoN AIR-TIGHT TABLET BOX 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 2, 1955 INVENTOR 76 JACK E-HODGSON United States Patent() 3,294,222 AIR-TIGHT TABLET BOX Jack Edward Hodgson, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 429,712 4 Claims. (Cl. 20G-42) This invention relates to improvements in air-tight tablet boxes or containers of the type best known as aspirin boxes which conventionally include a drawn container body joined to a cover by a hinge, and the invention is particularly directed to the elimination of openings formed in conventional containers or their covers when pintle and/or sleeve portions of the conventional hinge structure of such containers are formed.

In known tablet boxes or containers a hinge wall of either a container body or a cover is slotted and shaped to form a pair of pintles and one or more sleeves which are hingedly joined together by a hinge pin which is generally in the form of a wire. This slotting exposes the interior of such container bodies to atmosphere and allows moisture and air to enter such conventional containers and adversely effect tablets or other products packaged therein. This is particularly noticeable to the average consumer in so-called aspirin boxes which have been exposed to atmosphere for a considerable period of time. Even when such aspirin boxes are closed, air is admitted through the openings heretofore necessarily formed in the formation of the hinge structure associated with aspirin boxes. The aspirins absorb the moisture from the air and become observably flaky and soft, a condition highly undesirable from the standpoint of consumer acceptability and product integrity.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to eliminate the above disadvantages in conventional tablet containers in several different ways, either by avoiding conventional openings to form pintles and/or sleeves in hinge structures, providing novel inserts were such slots not eliminated, or incorporating both of these measures in a single tablet container construction.

Y ICC A further object of this invention is to provide a novel air-tight tablet container of a generally conventional construction including a container body hinge wall struck and formed to `define a pair of pintles each defining an opening in the hinge wall of the container body, and an insert in the container body closing the openings and additionally dening a dispensing means for the container operative for dispensing tablets packaged in the container upon an opening of the cover yet permitting a hermetic sealing upon subsequent reclosures of the container.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of a novel airtight tablet container constructed in accordance with this invention, and illustrates the container in the closed position thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a top perspective View of the container of FIGURE l, and illustrates a novel hinge construction of this invention hingeably joining the cover to the container body.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3 3 of FIGURE 1 with a portion shown in phantom outline, and more clearly illustrates the novel hinge A further object of this invention is to provide a novel l air-tight tablet container which includes a drawn container body and a cover movably joined to each other by a hinge construction, the hinge construction being formed in part by hinge walls forming extensions of the cover and the container body, one of the hinge walls being curled to dene a tubular sleeve and the other of the hinge walls being struck and formed into a pair of spaced pintles, both the sleeve and the pintles being formed Without openings being provided in major portions of the container body and the cover, and a pin passed through the sleeve having opposite end portions received in the pintles for hingeably securing the cover to the container body whereby the cover can embracingly surround and hermetically seal the container body due to the absence of openings therein.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel air-tight container of the type described in which an insert is provided internally of the container body and/or the lcover for effecting a seal between an end panel of the cover and the container to augment the air-tight construction of the unapertured container body.

l A further object of this invention is to provide a novel container of the air-tight type just described in which the' pintles are formed as integral portions of a peripheral skirt of the cover and the sleeve is formed from an integral extension of the container body or vice versa, and in either case, neither the cover nor the container body has openings through which air or moisture may enter the container body and contaminate or otherwise etfect products packaged therein.

construction of the container.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary reduced perspective view of the cover and container body of the container of FIG- URES 1 through 3, and illustrates hinged walls defining extensions of portions of the cover and container body prior to being assembled by curling the cover extension to form a hinge sleeve as shown in phantom outline.

FIGURE 5 is a top perspective View of another airtight tablet container constructed in accordance with this invention, and illustrates a spring clip securing a cover to a container body in the closed position thereof.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5, and more clearly illustrates the construction of the spring clip.

FIGURE 7 is a top perspective View of another airtight container constructed in accordance with this invention, and illustrates a pair of recessed portions in an end panel of a cover of the container.

FIGURE 8 is a top perspective view of the container of FIGURE 7, and illustrates the cover in an open position and an insert having dispensing openings positioned in a body of the container.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIGURE 7, and more clearly illustrates the relationship between the cover, insert and container body.

. FIGURE 10 is a schematic top plan view of the container of FIGURES 7 through 9 in the fully open position thereof, and illustrates a tablet adjacent one of the dispensing openings prior to being dispensed therethrough during a dispensing operation.

FIGURE 11 is a top perspective view of another airtight container constructed in accordance with this invention, and illustrates a cover and a container body joined by a hinge.

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary perspective exploded View of the cover and container body of FIGURE 11, and illustrates a pair of pintles constructed from integral extensions of the cover and a sleeve formed from an integral extension of the container body through which is received a hinge pin.

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along line 13-13 of FIGURE l1, and illustrates a friction-tight fit between a plug portion of the cover and the container body in the closed position thereof.

FIGURE 14 is a top perspective view of another container constructed in accordance with this invention, and illustrates a hinge joining a cover to a container body.

FIGURE 15 is an exploded perspective view with, parts fragmented, and illustrates an integral extension of the cover prior to being united to the container body and an insert receivable in the container body.

FIGURE 16 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 16-16 of FIGURE 14, and illustrates a downwardly opening flange of the insert sealingly engaging an upper edge of the container body to seal the interior of the container body from the atmosphere.

Referring to FIGURES 1 through 4 of the drawings, in particular, a novel air-tight container constructed in accordance with this invention is generally referred to by the reference numeral 20 and comprises a container body 21 and a cover 22 swingably or hingeably joined together by hinge means 23.

The container body 21 is preferably drawn from metallic material and comprises a bottom wall 24, opposed upstanding side walls 25, 26, a front wall 27 and a rear hinge wall 28. The container body 21 is of a generally rectangular or square configuration as viewed in top plan and terminates along a top or terminal edge 30.

The front wall 27 of the container body 26 is pressed outwardly at a central portion thereof into a generally triangular fastening lug portion 31 having a downwardly facing abutment surface 32 cooperable with the cover 22 for securing the same in the cl-osed position thereof in a manner to be described more fully hereafter.

The hinge Wall 28 of the container body 21 includes an integral generally rectangular extension or portion 33 which is initially in planar relationship to the hinge wall 28, but is folded to the position illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings prior to being assembled to the cover 22.

The hinge wall 33 denes a portion of the hinge structure or hinge means 23, and includes a pair of pintles 34, 35 formed by striking the integral extension 33 at 36, 37,

respectively, to form openings (not shown and unnumbered) upon the formation of the pintles 34, 35. A hinge pin 38 has opposite end portions (unnumbered) received in respective ones of the pintles 34, 35 in the manner clearly illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawmgs.

The cover 22 of the container 20 includes an end panel 40 which is recessed and defines with a peripheral skirt 41 a downwardly opening generally U-shaped channel 42. The peripheral skirt 41 of the cover 22 is contoured to the general configuration of the container body 21 and includes side walls 45, 46, a front wall 47 and a rear hinge wall 48 cooperatively embracing the respective walls l25--28 of the container body 21 in the closed position of the container 20 (FIGURES 1 and 2).

The front wall 47 of the cover 22 includes an integral extension 50 contoured to a generally triangular configuration at 51 and having an upwardly facing abutment surface 52 (FIGURE 3) cooperating with the downwardly facing abutment surface 32` of the triangular portion 31 for securely frictionally fastening the cover and container body together in the closed position thereof, as is clearly illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings. A generally outwardly flared projection 53 of the front wall portion 50 provides a gripping portion for manually releasing the engagement between the abutment surfaces 32, 52 for opening the cover 20 and subsequent hinging thereof about the hinge means 23 to the position of the cover 22 illustrated in phantom outline in FIGURE 3.

The rear hinge wall 48 (FIGURES 2 and 4) of the cover 22 includes an integral extension or portion 54 which normally projects beyond a free edge 55 of the cover skirt 41 in the manner best illustrated in FIGURE 4of the drawings. The extension 54 is curled to the phantom outline position shown in FIGURE 4 to define a sleeve 59 for uniting the cover 22 to the container body 21. The sleeve 59 is formed by the insertion of the eX- 33 of the body hinge wal-1 28 and thereafter folding the extension 54 to the position shown in solid lines in FIG- URE 3 and urging the extension 33 in the direction of the arrow in FIGURE 4 to the final position thereof also shown in FIGURE 3. In this assembled position of the cover 22 and the container body 21, the former is swingable about the hinge means 23 between open and closed positions thereof (FIGURE 3) to dispense packaged products, such as individual tablets T packaged in the container 20. The tablets T are prevented from being adversely affected by the exclusion of atmosphere to the interior of the container 20 by sealing compound 56 in the channel 42 preventing the admission of air into the interior of the container between the container body 21 and the cover 22 as clearly shown in FIGURE 3, and by the unapertured construction of the container body and the cover due to the extensions 54 and 33. That is, even though the slitting at 36, 37 and the forming of the pintles 34, 35 forms openings in the extension 33, the hinge wall 28 of the container body 21 is devoid of openings and is therefore basically air and moistureproof. The extension 54 also avoids the necessity of providing openings or similar means in the peripheral skirt'41 of the cover 22 which would also necessarily permit the entrance of air into the interior of the container 20.

In accordance with another form of this invention a container 60 (FIGURES 5 and 6) is provided for maintaining an air-tight seal between a container body 61 and a cover 62 hinged thereto. The container 60 is identical to the container 20 of FIGURES 1-3 of the drawings except for a variation in respective front walls 63, 64 of the container body 61 and the cover 62. In lieu of the generally triangular portions 31, 51 and the abutment surfaces 32, 52 of the container 20 which form the fastening means thereof, the container 60 is sealed and fastened in the closed position shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 by a spring clip 65. The spring clip 65 is generally U-shaped in section (FIGURE 6) and includes a bight portion 66 and a pair of generally parallel spaced leg portions 67, 68, with the latter leg portion being concavely curved at 70. The curved portion 70 bears against a recessed panel 71 of the cover 62 while the leg portion 67 bears against a bottom wall 72 of the container body 61. In this manner, the clip 65 secures the container 60 in the closed position thereof, and the curved portion 70 also generally eliminates inadvertent or accidental removal of the clip 65 from the container 60 by abutting a sloping surface 73 of a channel 74 of the cover 62. That is, movement of the spring clip 65 to the right as viewed in FIGURE 6 causes an increase in the force securing the cover to the container as the curved portion rides up on the surface 73 prior to the complete withdrawal thereof. This generally prevents inadvertent removal of the clip 65 from the container 60 and the accidental opening of the latter to atmosphere.

Another novel air-tight tablet container constructed in accordance with this invention is shown in FIGURES 7 through 10 of the drawings and is generally referred to be the reference numeral 80. The container includes a container body 81 secured to a cover 82 by hinge means 83.'

The container body 81 is constructed from drawn metallic material and includes a recessed bottom wall 89 integrally joined to a front wall 84, a pair of opposed upstanding side walls 85, 86 and a rear hinge wall 87. The walls 84-87 define with the bottom wall 89 an upwardly opening generally U-shaped recess 88 (FIG- URE 9)'.

The front wall 84 of the container body 81 is deformed outwardly at 90 (FIGURE 9) to form a portion of a conventional latching mechanism for securing the cover 82 and the container body 81 in the closed position thereof (FIGURES 7 and 9). The container body 81 terminates in a free upper peripheral edge 91.

The rear hinge wall 87 is struck and deformed outwardly to dene a pair of pintles 92, 93 of a'conventional construction, each of which forms an opening (not shown) in the hinge wall 87, as opposed to the formation of the pintles 34, 35 of the container body 21 which is devoid of such openings. i

The cover 82 of the container 80 includes an end panel 94 recessed at 96 and 97 adjacent corners of the cover 82 defined by a front wall 98 and respective side walls 100, 101 of a peripheral skirt generally referred to by the reference numeral 102. The end panel 94 is also recessed at'103, `104 adjacent a rear hinge wall 105. The recessed portions 103, 104 normally rest upon the edge 91 of the side Walls 100,101 to provide fulcrum points for opening the cover 82 upon the application of pressure rearwardly of each of these recessed portions 103, 104 to cause an interlocking fastening portion106 of the front wall 98 to disengage from the portion 90 of the container body front wall 84.

The cover 82 is connected at its rear wall 105 to the rear wall 87 of the container body 81 by a tubular sleeve 107 formed from an extension of the rearwall 105 and curled about a hinge or pivot pin 108 having opposite end portions (unnumbered) received in an associated one of the pintles 92, 93, as is best illustrated in FIGURE of the drawings.

The container 80 is rendered air and moisture-tight by an insert 110 positioned within the container body 81. The insert 110 is preferably constructed from plastic material and includes a top wall 111 generally fiush with the upper terminal edge 91 of thecontainer body 81 except for a pair of upstanding annular projections 112, 113 in underlying alignment with the recessed portions 96, 97 respectively of the cover 82 in the-closed position thereof (FIGURE 9). The projections 112, 113 define respective dispensing openings 114, 115 for a plurality of tablets or similar dispensable articles A. In the closed position of the container 80 the recess portions 96, 97 of the cover 82 contact the respective projections 112, 113 as is best illustrated in FIGURE 9 of the drawings, and prevent air or moisture from entering the interior of the container 80 while precluding the articles A from passing outwardly through the openings 114, 115. Upon the opening of the container 82 individual ones of the articles A can be dispensed from either of the dispensing openings 114, 115 in a manner clearly apparent from FIGURE 10 of the drawings.

The insert 110 also includes a downwardly directed peripheral skirt 120 terminating in a free edge 121 of a convex configuration which is sealingly received in the upwardly opening U-shaped groove 88 of the container body 81 to form an air-tight seal therewith. The peripheral skirt 120 also includes a front wall 122, a rear wall 123 and a pair of opposite side walls (unnumbered) intimately engaging the respective interior surfaces of the container body 81 to form air-tight seals therewith. This is particularly true of the rear wall 123 which overlies and seals the openings (unnumbered) in the rear hinge wall 87 of the container body 81 adjacent the pintles 92, 93.

Another container constructed in accordance with this invention is shown in FIGURES 11-13 of the drawings, and is referred to by the reference numeral 125. The container 125 includes a container body 126 and a cover 127 joined for swinging motion relative to each other by hinge means 128.

The container body is formed by drawing a sheet of metallic material to a generally rectangular configuration to form a bottom wall 130, a pair of spaced upstanding opposed side walls 131, 132, a front wall 133 and a rear Wall 134. The rear or hinge wall 134 includes an extension which is outwardly turned or curled to define a sleeve 135 to form a portion of the hinge means 128. The

container body 126 terminatesV in anupper free edge 136.

The cover 127 includes an end panel 137 recessed t0 define a plug portion 138 of a generally rectangular configuration having a plug wall contoured to the configuration of the container body 126 for friction-tight and" airtight sealing contact with the interior surfaces of the walls 131-134 of'the container body 126, in the manner best illustrated in FIGURE 13 of the drawings.

The cover 127 terminates in a peripheral skirt defined by an outwardly, downwardly and inwardly turned curl 141 which, in the closed position of the container 125, seats upon the free edge 136 of the'container body 126 exceptadjacent the hinge means 128.

At the hinge means 128, the curl`141 is interrupted and includes a pair of downwardly extended curl portions 142, 143. The extensions 142, 143 of the curl 141 are each inwardly, upwardly and outwardly turned (FIGURE l2) to define respective pintles 144, 145 between which is received. the sleeve of the container body 126. A pivot pin 146 is received in the sleeve 135 and each of the pintles 144, ^to define the hinge means 138 for swingably or hingedly attaching the cover 127 to the container body 126.

In accordance with a further form of this invention, another container 150 of FIGURES 14 through 16 of the drawings comprises a container body 151 and a cover 152.

The container body 151 is preferably constructed from a sheet of metallic material drawn to define a bottom wall 153, a pair of side walls 154, 155, a front wall 156 and a rear 'hinge wall 157. The container body rear wall 157 is struck and formed to define a pair of pintles 160, 161 between which is received and supported a hinge pin 162. In the formation of the pintles 160, 161 a pair of openings (not shown) are formed in the rear hinge wall The container body 151 terminates in a free upper peripheral edge 163 and a portion 164 of the front wall 156 (FIGURE 16) is deformed outwardly to form a fastening lug (generally unnumbered).

The cover 152 of the container 150 includes an end wall or panel 165 having a peripheral skirt (unnumbered) defined by a front wall 166, a pair of side walls 167, and a rear hinge wall 168 having an integral extension 170 (FIGURE 15) passed between the pin 162 and the hinge rear wall 157 of the container body 151 and folded to the configuration shown in FIGURE 16 to define a sleeve 171 swingable on the pin 162 for opening and closing the cover 152 relative to the container body 151.

An insert 175 is received in the container body 151 for sealing the interior thereof to atmosphere. The insert 175 includes a bottom wall 176, a pair of upsta'nding opposed side walls 177, 178, a front wall and a rear wall 181. The insert 175A terminates in an upper peripheral ange 182 reversely turned toward the bottom wall 175 to define a generally U-shaped channel embracingly receiving the peripheral edge 1'63 of the container body 151 in the manner clearly illustrated in FIGURE 16 of the drawings, The insert 175 defines an air-tight seal with the free edge 163 of the body 151 and also sealingly engages the inner surface of the cover end panel 165 to maintain the container 150 air-tight in the closed position thereof.

Each of the air-tight containers described heretofore have been illustrated in the preferred embodiments thereof, but it is to be understood that variations and changes in each may be made within the scope of this invention. For example, the hinge construction 23 of the container 20 could well be employed in lieu of the hinge construction 83 or the hinge construction 128 of the respective containers 80 and 125. Likewise, While no insert is shown in the container 20, an insert comparable to the insert 110 or the insert 175 may be incorporated in the body 21 of the container 20 in which case the compound 56 may be eliminated.

In further accordance with this invention, the cover 22 of the container 20 may be additionally provided with a plug wall corresponding to the plug wall 13S-of the container 125. In the container 125, pamphlets P or similar folded literature is preferably positioned in the recessed end panel 137 of the cover 127, but the presence or absence of such literature in the cover 22 of the container 20 when recessed is entirely optional.

Each of the inserts 110 and 175 is also preferably transparent.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been mad'e for carrying out the desired end. However, attention is directed to the fact that variations may be made in the example form of'the invention disclosed herewith without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tablet container comprising a container body having a bottom wall, opposed side walls, a frontwall, and a rear hinge wall, a cover, the cover including an end panel and a depending peripheral skirt contoured to the general configuration of the container body for embracingly surrounding the same in a closed position of the cover and container body, said peripheral skirt including a hinge wall, said hinge walls being cooperatively secured together by hinge means for hingeably uniting said cover and container body, means for securing said container body and cover in the closed position thereof, means forming an air-tight seal between portions of the cover and the container body in the closed position thereof, said seal forming means being an insert conforming generally to the configuration of said container body, said insert having an upper panel disposed generally adjacent the end panel of said cover, said insert upper panel including an upstanding peripheral lip terminating in a free terminal edge,l and s'aidfcover end panel including a vrecessed portion contactingly engaging and forming a seal with the free terminal edge of said peripheral lip in the closed position of said container body and cover whereby articles packaged therein are precluded from being adversely affected by air and moisture.

2. The container as defined in claim 1 wherein said insert further includes a lower free terminal edge, and said lower free terminal edge is in sealing engagement with the bottom wall of said container body.

3. The container as defined in claiml wherein Said insert includes a lower free terminal edge, the container body bottom wall`includes an upwardly opening peripheral groove, and the lower free terminal edge of said insert is sealingly received in said groove. f

4. The container as defined in claim 3 wherein said in-l sert includes another peripheral lip generally identical to said first peripheral lip, saidcover includes another re# cessed portion generally identical to said first-mentioned recessed portion, and said another peripheral lip and recessed portion being in sealing engagement in the closed position of said cover and' container body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,877,038 9/1932 Partiot 220-31 1,904,386 4/1933 v Raymond 206-42 2,081,930 6/1937 Hoffman.

2,117,151 5/1938 Cowan 220-31 -2,511,634 6/1950 Henchert 220-3l y2,551,587 5/1951 Eckman 220-31 2,743,128 4/1956 Hawkswell, et al. 21S-90 THERoN E. CoNDoN, Primary Examier.

JAMES B. MARBERT, Examiner. 

1. AA TABLET CONTAINER COMPRISISN GA CONTAINER BODY HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, A FRONT WALL, AND A REAR HINGE WALL, A COVER, THE COVER INCLUDING AN END PANEL AND A DEPENDING PERIPHERAL SKIRT CONTOURED TO THE GENERAL CONFIGURATION OF THE CONTAINER BODY FOR EMBRACINGLY SURROUNDING THE SAME IN A CLOSED POSITION OF THE COVER AND CONTAINER BODY, SAID PERIPHERAL SKIRT INCLUDING A HINGE WALL, SAID HINGE WALLS BEING COOPERATIVELY SECURED TOGETHER BY HINGE MEANS FOR HINGEABLY UNITING SAID COVER AND CONTAINER BODY, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID CONTAINER BODY AND COVER IN THE CLOSED POSITION THEREOF, MEANS FORMING A AIR-TIGHT SEAL BETWEEN PORTIONS OF THE COVER AND THE CONTAINER BODY IN THE CLOSED POSITION THEREOF, SAID SEAL FORMING MEANS BEING AN INSERT CONFORMING GENERALLY TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID CONTAINER BODY, SAID INSERT HAVING AN UPPER PANEL DISPOSED GENERALLY ADJACENT THE END PANEL OF SAID COVER, SAID INSERT UPPER PANEL INCLUDING AN UPSTANDING PERIPHERAL LIP TERMINATING IN A FREE TERMINAL EDGE, AND SAID COVER END PANEL INCLUDING A RECESSED PORTION CONTACTINGLY ENGAGING AND FORMING A SEAL WITH THE FREE TERMINAL EDGE OF SAID PERIPHERAL LIP IN THE CLOSED POSISTION OF SAID CONTAINER BODY AND COVER WHEREBY ARTICLES PACKAGED THEREIN ARE PRECLUDED FROM BEING ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY AIR AND MOISTURE. 